Former Vice President Mike Pence collected a $1.4 million advance for his memoir, which recounted the events of January 6, 2021, and his refusal to buckle to Donald Trump's demands to overturn the 2020 election results, new filings show.
The advance from Simon & Schuster for "So Help Me God" is among the large sources of income described in a financial disclosure report released Thursday. Pence is now running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination against Trump and a slew of other Republicans.
The filings also show that Pence has earned big sums on the speaking circuit, collecting a total of $3.4 million for 32 speeches between January 2022 and the end of April this year. Pence announced his candidacy for the White House in early June.
The most lucrative engagement: A $550,000 honorarium for a February 2022 appearance at a world summit underwritten by the Universal Peace Federation in Seoul, South Korea. The group was established by the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon -- the Korean evangelist and businessman who founded the Unification Church -- and his wife, Hak Ja Han.
According to the online transcript of his Seoul speech, Pence called for the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula and pledged American support for South Korea, Japan and "all of our allies for peace and security across the free world." He also praised The Washington Times, a conservative newspaper established by Moon, as a "courageous voice for freedom in America."
Other six-figure engagements ranged from a March 2022 appearance before the American Fuel and Petroleum Manufacturers trade group to a March 2023 speech to the Iranian American Community of Northern California. He also reported payments for 10 speeches to colleges and universities. Those were described as paid for by the Young America's Foundation, which works to popularize conservative ideas among young people.
According to his filings, Pence is vice president of Hoosier Heartland LLC and reported more than $1.8 million in business income from that company, which is described as engaging in speaking, writing and consulting. The firm's clients have not been disclosed.
The former vice president reported earning $381,000 in salary from the company.
